Single-station Tracking for Orbit Determination of Small Satellites

Available methods of orbit determination and satellite observation are briefly reviewed and evaluated for suitability in tracking small satellites from a single ground station. Radio interferometer and Doppler tracking appear useful and are discussed in further detail. Distinctions in accuracy and application between the two methods are made

Dispersal of \u3ci\u3eFenusa Dohrnii\u3c/i\u3e (Hymenoptera: Tenthredinidae) From an \u3ci\u3eAlnus\u3c/i\u3e Short-Rotation Forest Plantation

The European alder leafminer, Fenusa dohrnii, is a defoliating insect pest of Alnus in short-rotation forest plantations. A 2-year study was performed to quantify movement from infested stands to uninfested areas. Sticky traps and potted monitor trees were installed at different locations within and at various distances from (0,5, 10, and 20 m) an infested stand to measure adult flight and oviposition activity, respectively. Trap catch and oviposition activity fell off sharply with distance, few insects being trapped or eggs laid at distances of 5 m or greater from the infestation

Judicious Fertility Treatment to Minimise the Risk of Multiple Pregnancy

Pregnancies resulting from fertility treatment are associated with higher rates of multiple pregnancy and have higher rates of pregnancy complications than spontaneously conceived pregnancies. Methods exist to make fertility treatment safer and less likely to result in multiple pregnancy and practitioners should be practicing fertility treatment with the aim to produce a healthy, term, singleton pregnancy. Approaches to minimising the risk of multiple pregnancy include carefully monitoring ovulation induction (OI) cycles to produce mono-follicular ovulation. Identifying patients at risk of excessive response to ovulation induction and treating them with low dose therapies and close monitoring is a critical step in practicing safe OI treatment. Performing single embryo transfer in all but exceptional cases of in-vitro fertilisation (IVF), and never transferring more than two embryos, is the single, most successful way to reduce the multiple pregnancy rate with IVF. An appreciation of the increased risk of mono-chorionic twinning with IVF is also important. This chapter will explore ways to minimise the risk of multiple pregnancy with a variety of fertility treatments

Seismic Analysis of the Reservoir-Earth Dam-Pore Fluid System Using an Integrated Numerical Approach

In this paper, an integrated numerical approach is proposed for analyzing the seismic response of the reservoir-earth dam-pore fluid system subjected to earthquake loading. The fluid-mechanical coupling approach is deployed to capture the fluid-solid matrix coupling effects automatically. A hysteretic damping constitutive law is adopted to follow the modulus reduction and damping ratio curves. The Finn-Byrne equation is used to represent the shear-induced volumetric strain behavior of liquefiable materials. The interaction between the reservoir water and the dam boundary is treated as a dynamically updated pressure boundary condition. The deconvolution is accomplished by the equivalent linear program SHAKE. An automatic remeshing algorithm is employed to replace the badly distorted mesh with a new regular mesh whenever needed during the system evolution process. The system integrating these elements is constructed in the explicit finite-difference program FLAC, and applied to analyze the responses of a reservoir dam under seismic loading in both horizontal and vertical directions; the potential liquefied regions, earthquake-induced settlement and lateral spreading predicted by the simulation are presented

The Early Life Influences on Male Reproductive Health

Increasing concern exists regarding male reproductive health worldwide. This is due to the appearance of medical reports outlining apparent adverse trends, such as a worldwide decline in total fertility rate, and an increase in testicular disorders such as testicular cancer, cryptorchidism—in parallel with a probable decline in semen quality. This is of particular concern as there is evidence to suggest that a poor sperm count is potentially associated with overall lifelong morbidity and mortality, and is effectively a predictor of lifelong health risk. This chapter examines the evidence for this decline and its potential early life causes, from in-utero exposures to childhood development

Reproductive Consequences of Obesity

With increasing global obesity, there is a growing body of research looking at the impact of this on reproduction. Both male and female fertility are impacted on by being overweight or obese. Although the pathophysiology is not clear, it appears that obesity impacts endocrine function in men and women, oocyte and sperm quality, embryo quality, endocrine receptivity, and implantation. Miscarriage, pregnancy, and live birth rates and the risk of congenital malformations are all influenced by obesity. Transgenerational health is also affected, with metabolic, endocrine, and reproductive outcomes in the offspring being negatively affected by both paternal and maternal obesity. It appears that weight loss results in improvements in these outcomes and various strategies have been employed including lifestyle and behavior modification, pharmacological agents, and also bariatric surgery. This chapter aims to explore the reproductive outcomes of obesity and how this can be best managed to improve outcomes